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61-668: The Schoharie Valley is made up of plains surrounding the Schoharie Creek . Within the Schoharie Valley are the towns of Middleburgh , Schoharie , Fulton , and the Hamlet of Breakabeen . Vroman's Nose is an isolated mound of bedrock created by glaciers fity thousand years ago. The Valley is cut in the middle by NYS Route 30. The Schoharie Valley was colonized by the British in the early eighteenth century. However,

122-568: A changing world". The agency's previous slogan, adopted on its hundredth anniversary, was "Earth Science in the Public Service". Since 2012, the USGS science focus has been directed at topical "Mission Areas" that have continued to evolve. Further organizational structure includes headquarters functions, geographic regions, science and support programs, science centers, labs, and other facilities. The USGS regional organization aligns with

183-593: A federal survey agency, in part to inventory the vast lands added to the United States by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Mexican–American War in 1848. The USGS was authorized on March 3 in a last-minute amendment to an unrelated bill that charged the new agency with the "classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of

244-449: A lack of accuracy and detail in comparison to older generation maps based on aerial photo surveys and field checks. As the digital databases were not designed for producing general-purpose maps, data integration can be a problem when retrieved from sources with different resolutions and collection dates. Human-made features once recorded by direct field observation are not in any public domain national database and are frequently omitted from

305-433: A maximum discharge of 111,000 cubic feet (3,100 m ) per second on August 28, 2011, and a minimum discharge of 0.04 cubic feet (0.0011 m ) per second on many days from June to October 1976, and September 11-13, 1980. The station by Breakabeen in operation since July 1975, 1.1 miles (1.8 km) downstream from Keyser Kill, had a maximum discharge of 134,000 cubic feet (3,800 m ) per second on August 28, 2011, and

366-820: A maximum discharge of 120,000 cubic feet (3,400 m ) per second on August 28, 2011, with no minimum discharge recorded. Below the Schoharie Reservoir is the station by Gilboa in operation since October 1975, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) downstream from the Schoharie Reservoir dam, had a maximum discharge of 111,000 cubic feet (3,100 m ) per second on August 28, 2011, and a minimum discharge of 0.04 cubic feet (0.0011 m ) per second on many days from June to October 1976, and September 11-13, 1980. Another station by North Blenheim in operation continuously since October 1970, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) upstream from bridge on State Highway 30 in North Blenheim, had

427-548: A minimum discharge of 1.7 cubic feet (0.048 m ) per second on October 14, 1988. Further downstream the station by Middleburgh in operation from July 1927 to September 1939 and since December 2017, slightly downstream of the bridge at intersection of State Highways 30 and 145 in Middleburgh, had a maximum discharge of 47,800 cubic feet (1,350 m ) per second on March 18, 1936, and a minimum discharge of 2 cubic feet (0.057 m ) per second on September 1, 1939. Outside

488-626: A new way to view their entire digitized collection of over 178,000 maps from 1884 to 2006. The site is an interactive map of the United States that allows users to search or move around the map to find the USGS collection of maps for a specific area. Users may then view the maps in great detail and download them if desired. In 2008 the USGS abandoned traditional methods of surveying, revising, and updating topographic maps based on aerial photography and field checks. Today's U.S. Topo quadrangle (1:24,000) maps are mass-produced, using automated and semiautomated processes, with cartographic content supplied from

549-410: A non-metric scale virtually unique to the United States. Each of these maps covers an area bounded by two lines of latitude and two lines of longitude spaced 7.5 minutes apart. Nearly 57,000 individual maps in this series cover the 48 contiguous states , Hawaii , U.S. territories , and areas of Alaska near Anchorage , Fairbanks , and Prudhoe Bay . The area covered by each map varies with

610-846: A number of water-related programs, notably the National Streamflow Information Program and National Water-Quality Assessment Program. USGS Water data is publicly available from their National Water Information System database. The USGS also operates the National Wildlife Health Center , whose mission is "to serve the nation and its natural resources by providing sound science and technical support, and to disseminate information to promote science-based decisions affecting wildlife and ecosystem health. The NWHC provides information, technical assistance, research, education, and leadership on national and international wildlife health issues." It

671-684: A result, some have noted that the U.S. Topo maps currently fall short of traditional topographic map presentation standards achieved in maps drawn from 1945 to 1992. The Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility (HIF) has four sections within its organizational structure; the Field Services Section which includes the warehouse, repair shop, and Engineering Unit; the Testing Section which includes the Hydraulic Laboratory, testing chambers, and Water Quality Laboratory;

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732-478: A towing tank, jet tank, pipe flow facility, and tilting flume. In addition, the HIF provides training and technical support for the equipment it stocks. The Engineering Group seeks out new technology and designs for instrumentation that can work more efficiently, be more accurate, and or be produced at a lower cost than existing instrumentation. HIF works directly with vendors to help them produce products that will meet

793-644: A variety of USGS Report Series that include preliminary results, maps, data, and final results. A complete catalog of all USGS publications is available from the USGS Publications Warehouse. In the mid-1800s, various states set up geological survey institutions; e.g., the Kentucky Geological Survey , established in 1854. In 1879, a report from the National Academy of Sciences prompted Congress to set up

854-419: Is 1.2 miles (1.9 km) east of Lexington in operation since 1999, had a maximum discharge of 40,500 cubic feet (1,150 m ) per second on August 28, 2011, as Hurricane Irene passed through the area , and a minimum discharge of 4.8 cubic feet (0.14 m ) per second on August 21–22, 2002. Another station by Prattsville in operation since 1902, 0.2 miles (0.32 km) upstream from Schoharie Reservoir, had

915-514: Is a partnership-driven program that teams scientific researchers with natural and cultural resource managers to help fish, wildlife, waters, and lands across the country adapt to climate change . The National CASC (NCASC), based at USGS headquarters in Reston, Virginia, serves as the national office for the CASC network, while eight regional CASCs made up of federal-university consortiums located across

976-596: Is located by the US Route 20 bridge has been in operation since December 2017, takes gauge height measurements only. It had a maximum gauge height of 10.85 feet (3.31 m) on April 15, 2019 and a minimum gage height of 0.78 feet (0.24 m) on July 22, 2018. Outside the period of record, the flood of August 2011 reached a stage of 33.70 feet (10.27 m) from floodmark. The station in Burtonsville in operation since October 1939, 15 miles (24 km) upstream from

1037-483: Is mapped at this scale in quadrangles measuring 1° by 1°. USGS topographic quadrangle maps are marked with grid lines and tics around the map collar which make it possible to identify locations on the map by several methods, including the graticule measurements of longitude and latitude, the township and section method within the Public Land Survey System , and cartesian coordinates in both

1098-529: Is the agency primarily responsible for surveillance of H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks in the United States. The USGS also runs 17 biological research centers in the United States, including the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center . The USGS is investigating collaboration with the social networking site Twitter to allow for more rapid construction of ShakeMaps. ShakeMaps are an interactive tool allowing users to visually observe

1159-557: The Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project . The Erie Canal crossed over the creek by an aqueduct at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site . Two notable bridge collapses have occurred on Schoharie Creek. In 1987, two spans of the New York State Thruway collapsed . On August 28, 2011, the covered Old Blenheim Bridge collapsed due to flooding from Hurricane Irene . Schoharie Creek is part of

1220-712: The French and Indian War ended in 1763. Reorganized by then as the Six Nations the tribes had conducted internecine war with other powerful eastern tribes until the 1770s, weakening or eliminating the power of the Delaware, the Susquehanna, and Shawnee tribes— affecting Amerindian populations and power both East and West of the Alleghenies as far south as northern Kentucky in the west, and southern Maryland in

1281-585: The Geological Survey , is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology , geography , geology , and hydrology . The agency was founded on March 3, 1879, to study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources , and the natural hazards that threaten it. The agency also makes maps of extraterrestrial planets and moons based on data from U.S. space probes . The sole scientific agency of

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1342-753: The Old Blenheim Bridge . 42°32′N 74°25′W  /  42.53°N 74.41°W  / 42.53; -74.41 Schoharie Creek Schoharie Creek is a river in New York that flows north 93 miles (150 km) from the foot of Indian Head Mountain in the Catskills through the Schoharie Valley to the Mohawk River . It is twice impounded north of Prattsville to create New York City's Schoharie Reservoir and

1403-599: The State Plane Coordinate System and the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system . Other specialty maps have been produced by the USGS at a variety of scales. These include county maps, maps of special interest areas, such as the national parks , and areas of scientific interest. A number of Internet sites have made these maps available on the web for affordable commercial and professional use. Because works of

1464-634: The UCERF California earthquake forecast. As of 2005, the agency is working to create a National Volcano Early Warning System by improving the instrumentation monitoring the 169 volcanoes in U.S. territory and by establishing methods for measuring the relative threats posed at each site. The USGS also operates five volcano observatories throughout the nation: the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, Alaska (on

1525-570: The magnetic field at magnetic observatories and distributes magnetometer data in real time. The USGS collaborates with Canadian and Mexican government scientists, along with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation , to produce the North American Environmental Atlas , which is used to depict and track environmental issues for a continental perspective. The USGS operates the streamgaging network for

1586-409: The water quality of Schoharie Creek in different sections. The section from Cobleskill Creek to Pleasant Valley Brook is rated Class C, which is most suitable for fishing, but can also be suitable for primary and secondary contact recreation. Stream flow on the lower Schoharie is significantly influenced by the Schoharie Reservoir. Flow from the reservoir is restricted when the dam is not open, and

1647-442: The 15-minute series, was once used to map the contiguous 48 states at a scale of 1:62,500 for maps covering the continental United States, but was discontinued during the last quarter of the twentieth century. Each map was bounded by two parallels and two meridians spaced 15 minutes apart—the same area covered by four maps in the 7.5-minute series. The 15-minute series, at a scale of 1:63,360 (one inch representing one mile), remains

1708-439: The 30 x 60-minute quadrangle series. Each of these quadrangles covers the area contained within 32 maps in the 7.5-minute series. The 1:100,000 scale series is unusual in that it primarily employs the metric system . One centimeter on the map represents one kilometer of distance on the ground. Contour intervals , spot elevations, and horizontal distances are also specified in meters. The final regular quadrangle series produced by

1769-697: The American Revolution, one of the lesser known grievances of many held by the settlers. During the Revolution, farms in the valley acted as a breadbasket providing important food supplies to the Colonial forces. The lower Mohawk valley was a scene of uneasy native Amerindian – Colonial Settler contention throughout most of the 18th century until after the American Revolutionary War 's Sullivan Expedition pacified

1830-980: The Information Technology Section which includes computer support and the Drafting Unit; and the Administrative Section. The HIF was given national responsibility for the design, testing, evaluation, repair, calibration, warehousing, and distribution of hydrologic instrumentation. Distribution is accomplished by direct sales and through a rental program. The HIF supports data collection activities through centralized warehouse and laboratory facilities. The HIF warehouse provides hydrologic instruments, equipment, and supplies for USGS as well as Other Federal Agencies (OFA) and USGS Cooperators. The HIF also tests, evaluates, repairs, calibrates, and develops hydrologic equipment and instruments. The HIF Hydraulic Laboratory facilities include

1891-523: The National GIS Database. In the two years from June 2009 to May 2011, the USGS produced nearly 40,000 maps, more than 80 maps per work day. Only about two hours of interactive work are spent on each map, mostly on text placement and final inspection; there are essentially no field checks or field inspections to confirm map details. While much less expensive to compile and produce, the revised digital U.S. topo maps have been criticized for

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1952-725: The U.S. Department of the Interior Unified Interior Regions: USGS operates and organizes within a number of specific science programs, facilities, and other organizational units: The Earthquake Hazards Program monitors earthquake activity worldwide. The National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) in Golden, Colorado , on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines detects the location and magnitude of global earthquakes. The USGS also runs or supports several regional monitoring networks in

2013-662: The U.S. Department of the Interior, USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility. It is headquartered in Reston, Virginia , with major offices near Lakewood, Colorado ; at the Denver Federal Center ; and in NASA Ames Research Park in California. In 2009, it employed about 8,670 people. The current motto of the USGS, in use since August 1997, is "science for

2074-473: The U.S. government are in the public domain , it is also possible to find many of these maps for free at various locations on the Internet. Georeferenced map images are available from the USGS as digital raster graphics (DRGs) in addition to digital data sets based on USGS maps, notably digital line graphs (DLGs) and digital elevation models (DEMs). In 2015, the USGS unveiled the topoView website,

2135-726: The U.S., U.S. Pacific Islands, and U.S. Caribbean deliver science that addresses resource management priorities of the states within their footprints. Since 1962, the Astrogeology Research Program has been involved in global, lunar , and planetary exploration and mapping . In collaboration with Stanford University , the USGS also operates the USGS-Stanford Ion Microprobe Laboratory, a world-class analytical facility for U-(Th)-Pb geochronology and trace element analyses of minerals and other earth materials. USGS operates

2196-933: The USGS Center for Coastal Geology) has three sites, one for the Atlantic Ocean (located in Woods Hole, Massachusetts ), one for the Pacific Ocean (located in Santa Cruz, California ) and one for the Gulf of Mexico (located on the University of South Florida's St. Petersburg campus). The goal of this department is to conduct research in geology, mapping, hydrology, biology, and related sciences; evaluate hazards associated with floods, droughts, hurricanes, subsidence, human activity, and climate change; map

2257-474: The USGS is the 1:250,000 scale topographic series. Each of these quadrangles in the conterminous United States measures 1 degree of latitude by 2 degrees of longitude. This series was produced by the U.S.  Army Map Service in the 1950s, prior to the maps in the larger-scale series, and consists of 489 sheets, each covering an area ranging from 8,218 square miles (21,285 km ) at 30° north to 6,222 square miles (16,115 km ) at 49° north. Hawaii

2318-520: The USGS to rely on donations of time by civilian volunteers in an attempt to update its 7.5-minute topographic map series, and USGS stated outright in 2000 that the program was to be phased out in favor of The National Map (not to be confused with the National Atlas of the United States produced by the Department of the Interior , one of whose bureaus is USGS). An older series of maps,

2379-494: The United States under the umbrella of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS). The USGS informs authorities, emergency responders, the media, and the public, both domestic and worldwide, about significant earthquakes. It maintains long-term archives of earthquake data for scientific and engineering research. It also conducts and supports research on long-term seismic hazards . USGS has released

2440-912: The United States, with over 7400 streamgages . Real-time streamflow data are available online. As part of the Water Resources Research Act of 1984, the State Water Resources Research Act Program created a Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) in each state, along with Washington DC, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam. Together, these institutes make up the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR). The institutes focus on water-related issues through research, training and collaboration. The National and regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs)

2501-686: The area. Twelve hours before the Schoharie Creek Bridge collapsed due to heavy rainfall, the rush of water through the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project 40 miles (64 km) upstream hit a historic high. To cope with the overload, the dam released water into the Schoharie Creek according to the rate at which it was entering the reservoir from upstream, adding to the load in the creek. The segment of NY 5S near Fort Hunter

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2562-1200: The campus of Alaska Pacific University ), the California Volcano Observatory in Menlo Park, California , the Cascades Volcano Observatory (covering volcanoes in Idaho , Oregon , and Washington ) in Vancouver, Washington , the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in Hilo, Hawaii , and the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (covering volcanoes in Arizona , Colorado , Montana , New Mexico , Utah , and Wyoming ) in Yellowstone National Park , Wyoming. The USGS Coastal and Marine Science Center (formerly

2623-422: The continental United States, though only for use by members of its defense forces). The next-smallest topographic series, in terms of scale, is the 1:100,000 series. These maps are bounded by two lines of longitude and two lines of latitude. However, in this series, the lines of latitude are spaced 30 minutes apart and the lines of longitude are spaced 60 minutes, which is the source of another name for these maps;

2684-420: The distribution and severity of Shaking resulting from Earthquakes. The USGS produces several national series of topographic maps which vary in scale and extent, with some wide gaps in coverage, notably the complete absence of 1:50,000 scale topographic maps or their equivalent. The largest (both in terms of scale and quantity) and best-known topographic series is the 7.5-minute, 1:24,000 scale, quadrangle ,

2745-518: The drainage system of the Hudson River watershed and a direct tributary of the Mohawk River . Tributaries of Schoharie Creek, listed from upstream to downstream, include: Before European colonization, the watershed was mostly forested with a few small areas cleared by Native Americans for hunting. Early European settlers attempted to farm the land, but soon abandoned it due to the short growing seasons, steep slopes and rocky soil. Between 1800 and

2806-511: The early 1900s, mills, the tanning industry, quarrying for bluestone, logging, railroads, and resorts cleared the Catskills of most of its forest cover. Starting in the early 1900s, these industries began to decline and areas that were previously cleared have grown back into forest. As of 2001, approximately 85% of the Schoharie Creek's watershed has been classified as forested. New York's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) rates

2867-573: The east. By the end of the French and Indian War, they were the one remaining group of eastern native peoples that retained sufficient military power to give even the British authorities pause. Consequently, those authorities cultivated political arrangements with the Iroquois and as a prelude to the revolution, the British Crown acted to block trans-Appalachian settlements before the opening of

2928-669: The lack of flow mostly during the summer increases water temperature, which negatively affects the fishery. Also this section flows through an agricultural valley, which contributes to increased sediment in the creek. This increases streambank erosion and sediment loadings, and during high flows, cause the creek's turbidity to increase. Biological tests were conducted in Fort Hunter in 2001, then in Burtonsville in 2001, and showed non-impacted water quality conditions at both sites. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) maintains many stream gauges along Schoharie Creek. The first station

2989-488: The latitude of its represented location due to convergence of the meridians. At lower latitudes, near 30° north, a 7.5-minute quadrangle contains an area of about 64 square miles (166 km ). At 49° north latitude, 49 square miles (127 km ) are contained within a quadrangle of that size. As a unique non-metric map scale, the 1:24,000 scale naturally requires a separate and specialized romer scale for plotting map positions. In recent years, budget constraints have forced

3050-820: The majority of the settlers were Dutch or Germans . The Schoharie Valley was famous for its role in the American Revolution . Battles in the Valley included those in Breakabeen, at the Old Stone Fort , and the Battle of the Lower Fort. The Valley was ransacked by Tories and loyal Indian forces during the latter portion of the war. The Schoharie Valley's main fortress, the Old Stone Fort

3111-499: The minimum was 2 mg/L on October 1–2, 2014. On June 14, 2013, the maximum daily suspended sediment discharge was 48,400 tons (43,900,000 kg) on June 14, 2013, and .16 tons (150 kg) on October 1–2, 2014. In the 18th century, areas of the south (or right bank ) side of Mohawk Valley were sparsely settled in the face of the periodically warlike and always militant Iroquois peoples, who, while diminished by European diseases during colonial times still retained ample war powers after

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3172-477: The mission needs of the USGS. For instrument needs not currently met by a vendor, the Engineering Group designs, tests, and issues contracts to have HIF-designed equipment made. Sometimes HIF will patent a new design in the hope that instrument vendors will buy the rights and mass-produce the instrument at a lower cost to everyone. USGS researchers publish the results of their science in a variety of ways, including peer-reviewed scientific journals as well as in one of

3233-400: The morning of April 5, 1987, after 30 years of service, two spans of the New York State Thruway bridge over Schoharie Creek near Fort Hunter collapsed. Five vehicles fell into the flooded river, resulting in ten deaths. A subsequent investigation of the collapse determined the cause to be scour . At the time, the creek was higher and flowing faster than normal due to excessive rains in

3294-403: The mouth, had a maximum discharge of 128,000 cubic feet (3,600 m ) per second on August 29, 2011, and a minimum discharge of 2.4 cubic feet (0.068 m ) per second on September 24–25, 1964. The USGS station along the creek near Burtonsville , collects turbidity data every 15 minutes. The maximum daily suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) mean was 1460 mg/L on June 14, 2013, and

3355-465: The newest generation digital topo maps, including windmills, mines and mineshafts, water tanks, fence lines, survey marks, parks, recreational trails, buildings, boundaries, pipelines, telephone lines, power transmission lines, and even railroads. Additionally, the digital map's use of existing software may not properly integrate different feature classes or prioritize and organize text in areas of crowded features, obscuring important geographic details. As

3416-469: The onshore and offshore geologic framework; assess mineral resources and develop techniques for their discovery; assess water resources and develop an understanding of the impact of human activities and natural phenomena on hydrologic systems; assess links between biodiversity, habitat condition, ecosystem processes and health; and develop new technologies for collection and interpretation of earth science data. The USGS National Geomagnetism Program monitors

3477-501: The period of record, it had an estimated maximum discharge of 130,000 cubic feet (3,700 m ) per second on August 28, 2011. The station in Schoharie is located upstream from bridge on County Highway 1A has been in operation since December 2017, takes gauge height measurements only. It had a maximum gauge height of 13.42 feet (4.09 m) on August 14, 2018 and a minimum gage height of 4.47 feet (1.36 m) on many days between September 22 and October 1 in 2019. The station in Esperance

3538-428: The primary topographic quadrangle for the state of Alaska (and only for that particular state). Nearly 3,000 maps cover 97% of the state. The United States remains virtually the only developed country in the world without a standardized civilian topographic map series in the standard 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 metric scales, making coordination difficult in border regions (the U.S. military does issue 1:50,000 scale topo maps of

3599-485: The region by permanently weakening the Six Nations of the Iroquois . That campaign was a direct result of two atrocities in the region: The May 1778 Battle of Cobleskill (or Cobleskill Creek Massacre) signaled a new guerrilla war offensive by mixed troops of Loyalists and members of the four Iroquois tribes allied to the British in 1778. The incursions resulted in three major raids with major loss of life ranging from Southern New York to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania . On

3660-568: Was reconfigured to carry westbound Thruway traffic while the bridge was rebuilt. The eastbound replacement bridge was completed and fully open to traffic on December 7, 1987, and the westbound replacement bridge was opened on May 21, 1988. The Old Blenheim Bridge , one of the longest and oldest single-span covered bridges in the world, formerly spanned the creek. The bridge was destroyed on August 28, 2011 by flooding resulting from Hurricane Irene . United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey ( USGS ), founded as

3721-409: Was used as an armory during the American Civil War . The valley was once served by the Schoharie Valley Railroad and the Middleburgh-Schoharie Railroad . Today, the prime industry of the Schoharie Valley is farming. The NYS Power Authority also has a hydroelectric power plant in Blenheim, New York . There is also some tourism, primarily to the Old Stone Fort, Dr. Best Museum , Vroman's Nose, and

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